Amnesty plans to harness the web

Amnesty International aims to use the power of the web to launch a new campaign promoting human rights worldwide.

Called 'Unsubscribe', the campaign wants to attract people who feel strongly about subjects such as human rights abuse, torture and democracy using social-networking sites such as Bebo, Facebook and MySpace.

Several recent incidents - such as the political unrest in Burma - have caused Facebook groups to spring up. A group called 'Support the Monks in Burma' has more than 382,000 members.

Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen said: "Social media is a natural home for Amnesty – we have always been a community of people with shared values, amplifying the voices of thousands of individuals, mobilising them and taking action against injustice."

"Social networks are where people are coming together to get fired up about issues and take action. The Unsubscribe campaign puts social media at the heart of human rights campaigning, bringing people together online and making our voice louder than ever," Allen continued.

It isn't just Facebook where people have started to set up groups to add their voice to global debates. Bebo, another popular social network with around 37 million members, is especially popular in the UK.

"The Unsubscribe campaign really speaks the language of Bebo. Bebo is all about people coming together to explore ideas and share their passions and to make a positive impact - key aspects of Amnesty's new campaign," said Joanna Shields, president of Bebo.

www.amnesty.org
www.unsubscribe-me.org
www.bebo.com
www.facebook.com
www.nusonline.co.uk

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